A Warm Place
by Kira Kunoichi
Summary: ItaSaku. AU: For years,Sakura has been unhappily content to live under Itachi, the tyrannical dictator of her small Slavic country. But when a new tragedy sparks rebellion within her, she must become his mistress in part of an assassination attempt.
1. World That Breaks

"Move it a bit to the right—no, you idiot, the one in your left hand. Okay, now just a tiny bit more—now you've lost it completely."

Sakura Haruno had her knees hooked over the back of her dilapidated armchair, and hung forward so that her head draped over the edge of the seat cushion. In front of her, a small television showed flickering black-and-white static on its screen. Her fiancé, Naruto, stood behind it, an antenna in each hand. He was moving them slowly back and forth, trying to find a signal. Suddenly, a grainy picture flashed onto the screen, and Sakura waved her hands franticly.

"Stop, stop! You've got it—hold it _right there._" Jumping up, she snatched up a roll of wire and wrapped it securely around the antennae, holding them in place. She turned the volume up to test it, and a crackling voice filled the room.

"…the rebels attacked a police station downtown, today, but thankfully the rebellion was quickly put down by Lord Uchiha's guard…" Sakura smacked the power button and the image shrank out of existence, leaving the screen blank and empty. Wiping her hands against each other purposefully, she strode over to the pile of half-unpacked cardboard boxes and began to unload clothes and books, piling them into a stack of wooden crates on their sides. Naruto moved energetically around the small flat, being largely unhelpful.

"I actually kind of like this one," he said. "It's a bit small, granted, but it's got character. And look, Sakura, we've got an excellent view!"

She joined him where he stood on their narrow bed, peering through a grimy skylight. Below, the grey-brown city stretched out towards the horizon, the tops of the tallest buildings obscured by a layer of smog that their six-story building was just shy of reaching. Standing on her tiptoes, she could see down to the street below, which was just as empty and lifeless as the shells of buildings. A few decrepit automobiles chugged glumly along, but most people trudged along the crumbling sidewalks. The colourless city was reflected in their dreary forms, as if they were a living incarnation of their home.

Sakura made a show of shading her eyes with her hand and squinting out the window. "Where exactly is this excellent view? I can't see it behind all the buildings."

"It's out there!" Gesturing exaggeratedly, Naruto smacked the back of his hand into the glass. "It's the city! Isn't it beautiful?"

"Sure, whatever you say." Sakura hopped down from the bed, landing lightly on stocking feet. "Personally, I think _this_ is beautiful." Smiling fondly, she indicated a magazine picture tacked up next to her typewriter. It featured a palm tree, bent slightly over a clear pool. The sun, low in the sky, reflected its radiance in the white sand of the beach. Sakura sighed. "I'm moving there as soon as I can get a visa."

"You've said that a thousand times," Naruto moaned. "Don't you have any love for your native country?"

Rolling her eyes, Sakura plopped back down by her makeshift shelf and continued to unpack. "Personally, I think it'd be nice to live somewhere where the government and economy weren't so fucked up…"

"That's why we have to fix this country. All the rebellions need is some decent leadership—they've already got plenty of spirit. We could overthrow that Uchiha bastard for sure. We could establish a republic."

"Sure," she droned disbelievingly. "Naruto, you have to face the facts. The rebellions are being put down, and every oppositionist is either imprisoned or executed. People are losing the will to fight. And even if we did, by some freak chance, overthrow the larger, better-armed enemy, who's to say that another, maybe worse dictator wouldn't take the opportunity to seize power? Remember, we all thought that anyone would be better than the king, and look what we ended up with."

Naruto was unfazed by her pessimistic arguments. "You'll see, Sakura. We'll win, and we'll make you want to stay here forever!"

They stared at each other for a moment, his determined azure eyes locked on her cynical emerald ones, but their gaze was broken when a small, dark-haired girl ran into the room. She was thin, barefoot, and dressed in a large blue smock, and she flew in calling "Auntie Sakura!" Naruto picked her up and swung her through the air, then set her down next to Sakura, who smiled at her and pushed a stray strand of dark brown hair back behind the child's ear.

"What is it, Liberty?"

The girl pressed a small copper coin into Sakura's hand. "I found this, playing in the main room. Can you hold it for me so no one takes it?" Sakura nodded solemnly, not having the heart to tell her that it was a coin of the old kingdom, and not worth anything. Liberty smiled brightly before running back out to the main room that they shared with five other families. Sakura waited until she had left, then stood and turned from Naruto.

"That's the only thing that rebellions create. Orphans."

Naruto knew that he was on a slippery slope. How could he argue with Sakura now that she had brought _this_ up? Finally he spoke.

"So what would you have us do? Live in peace while our nation goes to hell?"

"Yes. The rule will pass, and until then, we can survive. Things may be tight, everyone may be broke, rules may be tough, but at least we're alive. Humans can endure most things, but no one can live through a bullet to the heart." She stood, and picked up their paper bag of cooking utensils. "I'm going to go help fix dinner now." And, with that, she swept out of the room.

-

Naruto stood still for a moment, then sighed and climbed back atop the bed to stare out of the window. Looking at the same city, he saw something so different than Sakura. He saw innovation in the grimy smokestacks of the factories, and fortitude in the drab people trudging along the dreary road. The smoke and the grey cloud obscured the light of the sun, holding the populace in a kind of perpetual twilight, but it almost seemed to him that an inner fire illuminated everything. He did not believe in God, but he trusted in the strength and resilience of his people, and that became an almost spiritual belief, a guiding light in a dark existence.

Thinking of his fiancée, though, he turned his head downwards and stared at his hands hopelessly. She spurned the only light he could see, and, although she scorned the darkness, she seemed almost content with it; as if she was convinced it was the best life could offer her. His hands clenched involuntarily into fists with a simple determination. He wanted so much to show her this bit of hope that he relied on, but even he, who knew her best, couldn't begin to crack the defenses she had put up. So firmly did he trust his beliefs that he did not even imagine that her doubt was for her what his patriotism was for him.

Standing, he stretched, and when he lifted his head again, there was a hint of a smile on the face that had been troubled a moment ago.

"Don't worry, Sakura," he whispered, as if to a spirit. "I'll help you. I'll help you see the city the way I do."

-

The main room of the floor was large and plain, with battered, flimsy wallpaper, and an unfinished hardwood floor that seemed to only let cold air up between the rough boards. One wall held a decrepit gas stove; a yellowed, softly crackling refrigerator, and shelves scantily furnished with boxes and cans of black market food. A central table took up a large portion of the room, and some children were seated around it on mismatched chairs, drawing on scraps of paper with worn out stumps of crayons. Liberty was among those who still ran shrieking around the room in a vicious game of tag. Sakura smiled vaguely as she dodged a small boy on her way over to the cooking area.

"Good evening, Ms. Haruno." A girl no more than twelve years old stood by a bubbling pot, stirring it absently.

"Oh, don't call me Ms., Sonja." Sakura smiled gently at the girl. "It makes me feel old." She paused. "Where's Kurenai?"

"She went out." Sonja sipped the soup, then tapped in a sparing bit of rationed salt. "Said there was something she had to get."

"Here, let me take that." Sakura took the wooden spoon, and, setting down her paper bag on an empty shelf, pulled out a packet of soda crackers. "Use these to bribe the younger children to set the table for ten, for the first dinner shift. I'll cook this."

"Thank you, Ms. Ha—Sakura." The girl took the packed and walked over to the table. She spoke softly to the children colouring there, and handed each one a cracker. Soon the more rowdy children, led by Liberty, crept over to see where the food was coming from, and Sonja coerced them into helping, too. Sakura watched approvingly—Sonja really had a way with children.

Hearing someone climbing the stairs, Sakura turned her head automatically. She grinned as she saw Kurenai's unruly black head crest the landing and heard the sharp clicks of her heels. Stepping up onto the floor, Kurenai greeted the children, then strode over to where Sakura stood.

"Where were you? Your daughter had to take over cooking for you," the younger woman gently scolded.

"Sorry." Kurenai grinned apologetically. "I know this guy, sells decent food, but he only comes by here once a month. And look what I got." From the shopping bag she held, she pulled a small dead chicken. Sakura's eyes widened approvingly. "Cost me an arm and a leg, but I figured it'd be nice to have a treat."

"How much do I owe you?" The price of food was shared among the residents of this floor, and Sakura was wondering if her pocketbook could take the strain of many such treats. She hadn't been able to continue her career as a journalist since Itachi Uchiha had come to power, and Naruto didn't make much working odd jobs.

"Oh no, I'll pay for it," Kurenai insisted. "It was my choice to buy it, and I'll foot the bill." She smiled warmly at Sakura, who grinned back gratefully. Both Kurenai and her husband were still working regular jobs, so they had more money than most.

"Should we have it tonight? Sonja already started a vegetable stew—we could add it to that, to make it go further…"

"Sure." Kurenai sighed wearily. "It won't last long, otherwise, with twenty to feed…"

"Here, I'll start plucking it—you go take off your coat." Sakura took the chicken from the older woman and set it on an empty shelf. She yanked the feathers out fiercely and tossed them into the now empty paper bag. Kurenai crossed the room and entered her family's apartment to hang up her coat.

No sooner had Kurenai come back out of her room, then her husband, Asuma, came up the stairs, talking with another man, one whom Sakura didn't know well. She didn't know most of the people here, having just moved in, and all she could remember about this particular man was that he was married, had three children, and worked at the same place as Asuma. Seeing the men, Kurenai ran over and kissed her husband shyly, then turned back to Sakura.

"I really should go help…"

"Oh, no, I'm fine on my own, really. You two go on." Sakura knew that the two of them didn't get to spend much time together, both being busy with their work.

Grabbing Asuma's hand, Kurenai pulled him towards their room, then turned and mouthed 'thank you' to Sakura before dragging him inside. Sakura smirked to see Asuma's hand reach out and tug their door shut behind them.

She and Kurenai had been friends for a while, and it had been Kurenai who had invited her to move to this place after she had been evicted from her last building, no longer able to pay the rent. Other than Naruto, Kurenai was the only person who Sakura felt she that she could rely on completely.

"Hey, beautiful, what's this you've got there?" Naruto's strong arms reached around her and picked up the half-plucked chicken. "This what we're having for dinner tonight? Yum."

"Hands off!" Snatching the bird from his powerful hands, Sakura resumed plucking it and tried to ignore Naruto's warm breath on the back of her neck.

"Need my help?"

"Yeah, like a hole in the head." He waited, though, and finally Sakura conceded. "Alright, stir that stew for me, will you?" Sliding over, Naruto took the spoon in his large hand and began to rhythmically stir the pot. Sakura continued to pluck the chicken, pretending that she didn't miss his presence at her back.

"So," Naruto began, trying to sound casual.

"I'm not going with you to the meeting tonight, if that's what you want," Sakura cut him off. "And I wish that you wouldn't go either." She fiercely yanked out a handful of feathers and flung them into the bag.

Naruto swallowed somewhat guiltily. "Okay. Sorry. Forget I said anything." He went back to methodically stirring; casting furtive glances at Sakura when he thought that she couldn't see. He flinched when she pulled out a knife, but it was only to hack the now plucked and gutted bird to bits with a bit more malice than was necessary. She dropped the chunks of meat into the pot, and soon a pleasant aroma filled the room, drawing out the introverts who had been skulking in their own flats. They began to mingle in the main room, waiting for dinner. Kurenai came out of her room, straightening her blouse, and cheerfully took the pot.

Sensing instinctually that the food was ready, the first dinner shift began to line up with their bowls, and Kurenai ladled stew in. Sakura pulled out a loaf of bread and sliced it thinly, handing pieces to those whom Kurenai served. The youngest of the children ate first, along with the men who had just returned from work. Sonja and a few of the other women came over and helped to get drinks for those seated at the broad table, then withdrew to the outer walls to gossip and chat while the others finished their meal. As soon as everyone had eaten, they swooped down, relaying the table with fresh bowls of stew and seating themselves around it. Sakura found herself seated between Naruto and Kurenai, both eager to fill her ears with chatter, though the former was slightly more subdued that usual. She joined in happily, nodding and smiling when she hadn't heard their words over the din of the table. It was a moment before she noticed that Kurenai had asked her a question.

"Sorry, what?"

Her friend smiled obligingly. "I was wondering if you'd be willing to go with Sonja tomorrow to get our rations. Asuma and I both have to work, and she's too young to go out alone…"

"Of course. Liberty's been begging me to take her out, anyway… we might as well go get ours as well. Sonja will be no problem."

"Thanks." Kurenai turned to the woman on her other side, and Sakura half-listened to Naruto's excited chatter. Sonja caught her eyes shyly from across the table, and Sakura flashed her an encouraging grin. The girl, hastily cast her gaze downwards, but a small smile crept onto her lips.

-

That night, after the dishes had been washed and put away, Sakura lay, sleepless, in her narrow bed. She missed the feel of Naruto's warm body beside her on nights when he went out, and the loud snoring that nearly drowned out the soft breathing emanating from the small trundle. She rolled over, turning her back to where Naruto should be, and stared off into the darkness. The furniture and moving crates filling the room seemed to morph in the shadows into strange, ethereal beasts. She knew that she had to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes…

_She lay in bed, her body wracked by fever. She tried to stand, but her legs would not hold her. Shivering helplessly, she retreated under her blankets and fell into confused dreams._

_The door opened, and a young man walked in, his pink hair shaggy around his ears. His dark-haired wife followed, holding a little girl's hand. Both wore excited grins tainted with only the slightest hint of anxiety._

"_Sakura, are you ready?" the man called, then, turning, saw her still abed. "Don't tell me you're still sleeping." He walked over to the bed, and smiled kindly, leaning over her. His hand rested gently on her forehead, then abruptly withdrew, as if he had set it on a lit stove._

"_She's burning up! Get a cool cloth, will you, dear?" His wife nodded, her brow creased with concern. She hurried off to the small washroom, leaving the wide-eyed little girl with her father._

_A knocking came from the door, then it opened and a blonde young man walked in cheerfully. "Sakura!" he called, and then "Oh, you're here already." He opened his mouth to greet the other man, but was cut off._

"_She's got a fever. She won't be able to come, I doubt that she can even walk. And… someone will have to stay with her."_

_An uncomfortable silence filled the room, but was broken as the woman returned with a damp cloth. Her husband thanked her, then knelt again by the bed and laid it across her fevered brow._

_The younger man shifted awkwardly from foot to foot, glancing around in apparent mental turmoil, while the woman knelt beside her husband. They held a whispered conversation, of which Sakura caught disjointed phrases._

"—_won't be able to march in this health—"_

"_Of course not, but is it really necessary—"_

"—_in case the condition worsens, to go for the doctor if need be."_

"_Maybe Liberty should remain here, too?"_

"—_the real question is, who will stay—"_

"_Alright, I'll stay with her!"_

_Husband and wife looked up as one, the same startled expression on their faces. The other man, who had been pacing restlessly, now stood with his hands balled into fists, having just shouted out, interrupting their hushed conversation._

"_I'll stay," he repeated. "You two go march. I will remain with Sakura."_

_The elder man stood, and shook his hand with a sympathetic look on his face. "Thank you, Naruto. Take good care of my sister, hm?"_

"_Of course."_

_The woman stood, smiling a bit. "You wouldn't mind watching Liberty, too, would you? She's a bit too young to handle all the walking…"_

"_She'll be no problem," Naruto assured. He smiled down at the girl, who flashed him a milk-white grin._

"_Thank you for looking after our family, Naruto." The older man nodded politely to him, and then he and his wife hurried out the door._

_Naruto closed the door behind them, and leaned his forehead against it, closing his eyes and breathing deeply. After a few minutes, he suddenly, as if awakening from a slumber, reared back and threw his arms into the door, making the wood creak warningly._

"_Damn!" He drew his arm back, and slammed his fist into the door, then pulled it back and shook it, wincing with pain and hissing curses beneath his breath. Liberty stood by the bed, eyes impossibly wide, watching him in a state between fear and awe._

"_Naruto…" Sakura croaked from the bed, and then again "Naruto…" when he didn't hear her over his stream of profanities._

_Finally noticing her, he crossed the room in a few quick strides and seated himself at her bedside. "What is it, Sakura?" he asked. His voice tried to be tender, but there was still anger in it, reflected in the creases between his eyebrows._

_She smiled weakly. "Thank you for staying with me."_

_His face softened, and he smiled back at her. "You're welcome." He paused. "I shouldn't be so upset, I know… It's just some march, I'm sure there will be plenty others. It's just… I can't help but feel that something's going to happen without me."_

_Sakura reached out towards him with one hand and he took it and kissed it. She gently traced her clammy fingertips across his cheek, and his expression softened further. "I'm sorry you had to miss it for me."_

"_No—it's no trouble, really. You're much more important, Sakura."_

_She tried to protest, but fatigue overpowered her, and her eyelids fluttered shut. Naruto let go of her hand and it dropped to her side. He left her momentarily to softly turn on her radio, then returned to her side. Liberty sat beside him, and eventually she dropped off to sleep, too, with her curly head in his lap. He sat, a stoic protector, softly stroking Sakura's pink hair, as the soothing sounds of a symphonic orchestra filled the small room._

_-_

_Sakura was pulled up from a shallow slumber by a hand on her shoulder. Drowsily opening her eyes, she saw Naruto's panicked face looming over her in the now nearly darkened room._

"_What'sit?" she sleepily asked, and Naruto swallowed nervously._

"_You should hear this," he said._

_She realised for the first time that her radio was on, and a local newscaster's voice was filling the room._

"_The march on our nation's capital was put down today as it quickly became a riot. Some are claiming police brutality, but the captain of the guard claims that it was in the interest of public safety, and that the rebels were armed. Deaths number in the hundreds…"_

_Sakura's eyes widened with panic and she tried to sit up, but collapsed dizzily to her pillow._

"_My brother…?" she asked, although she already knew the answer._

_Naruto shook his head sadly. "There were no survivors."_

-

Sakura did not remember when she fell asleep that night, but when she woke up in the morning; her face was wet with tears.


	2. Riot

Sakura woke slowly, climbing gradually through those stages of sleep where you can almost think, but not quite. Her thoughts were muddled and tangled, but she couldn't bring herself to sit up, throwing back her drowsy blanket and springing her thoughts back to pencil-tip clarity. Instead, she delved deeper into her mattress, wallowing in the warm trough made by hours of lying in the same place. After a moment, she did crack open one eye to see what had woken her.

The room was still lit in tones of grey, but they had softened a bit with the hint of light that had just begun to creep through the grimy glass of the window. From the amount of light, Sakura guessed it to be early morning, maybe four thirty or five. Liberty still slept soundly on her little trundle, her blankets tangled hopelessly around her small limbs and her dark hair in a disarrayed mess on her pillow, but someone else was in the room, trying to move around quietly. Lifting her head a few centimetres, Sakura could make out Naruto's form blundering around over by the wardrobe. It looked as if he had just gotten back, a fact that was further proved by the cold, flat blankets on the side of the bed opposite Sakura.

"Naruto," she hissed, and he turned around, one leg in his pyjama pants.

"Oh, Sak'ra, you're awake," he mumbled, slurring his words a bit.

"Did you just get back?" He bit his lip and nodded. "Have you been drinking?"

"Jus' a bit…" He shifted awkwardly. "One o' the others bought it, so I'm not wasting money."

"Whatever." Sakura flopped back down onto her pillow and pulled the blanket up to her nose. Her fingers brushed her face, and she felt wetness. In a flash, she remembered her dream, but just as quickly as it had come, it slipped away like sand between her fingers. Across the room, Naruto fumbled with the buttons of his pyjama shirt, finally giving up and coming to bed with the front undone.

"Sorry, Sakura," he muttered as he crawled in beside her, shivering at the touch of the cold sheets.

Sakura sighed. She wasn't angry, not really. She just hated it when Naruto was gone. She worried about him. So she wasn't really cross with him. But still…

"I'm not letting you sleep in late, you know," she said.

Naruto groaned. "C'mon, Sakura, that's just cruel."

She smiled brightly. "See you in the morning!"

Sensing danger, Naruto wisely closed his eyes and pretended to go to sleep.

-

Despite her threats, Sakura did not wake Naruto when she slipped out of bed an hour later. She did wake Liberty, though, and quietly dressed her. She also hung up Naruto's shirt and trousers, which she had found on the floor of the wardrobe. Liberty respected Naruto and his hangover enough to remain quiet, so Sakura took advantage of the situation to brush the wild girl's long hair and pull it into a long, sleek plait down her back, something Liberty rarely allowed her to do. Sakura braided her own hair, too, and dressed in a simple brown housedress.

The two of them crept from the room to get breakfast, and found Sonja frying eggs at the stove. Sakura sliced some bread from the previous night's dinner, and they ate together at a corner of the big table. After they finished, Sakura set the girls to work washing the dishes, then went to get her and Liberty's coats from their room. She grabbed them from their hooks on the wall and turned to go back out, but hesitated at the door. After a moment's deliberation, she strode over to the bed and leaned over Naruto.

"Liberty and I are going out with Sonja to get our rations," she whispered. "We'll be back sometime this afternoon." She leaned in close and pressed her lips to the corner of his mouth. "Sleep well."

A smile crept across Naruto's face as he slept.

-

Sakura felt vulnerable walking down the street, like an animal leaving its hole to search for food, never sure when a hawk would sweep down on it. She was the bottom of the food chain here, in this city. The prey. Even though she avoided politics, and had done her best to do nothing wrong in the past three years, even though she fostered no royalist or revolutionary angers, she couldn't help but feel that there was a dark shadow over her head. She never went out when she didn't have to.

All she wanted was to melt into the backdrop, to be so unremarkable as to fade from people's minds the moment they looked away. A camouflage of dullness sometimes serves better than any disguise. So a grey-brown scarf was tied over her bright hair, and she covered herself with a dreary wool coat and battered boots. Her pale skin was almost ashen, as unnoticeable as her clothing, and even her bold green eyes seemed to conceal themselves naturally, her eyelids always partway lowered, hiding her fiery gaze beneath their modest cover. Sonja was much the same, with her dull brown hair and faded clothes, but Liberty… Liberty was a problem.

Despite Sakura's previous attempts to tame it, springs of dark hair had come loose from the girl's plait, and the ribbon was slipping lower, threatening to fall off, freeing her cloud of curly locks. Her bright eyes sparkled with mischievous glee as she pranced along, and the cold air made roses bloom on her cheeks and nose. She smiled liberally, showing her pearly teeth, and everything about her seemed to glow, even in the dim, dirty air of the city.

They reached the Rations Office, and queued along the sidewalk. The line stretched along only one block at this hour, but Sakura knew that soon it would grow much longer, so she hurried the girls to the end, glad that they had gotten here so early.

A group of working men lined up behind them, shattering the smothering silence with their raucous laughs and obscene jokes. Sakura shifted herself protectively between them and the two girls, her maternal instincts guiding her into a defensive position over them. She gnawed her lip nervously, wondering how long they would have to wait.

They stood there for a few hours more before Liberty whined that she had to pee. The men laughed loudly, and Sakura glared icy daggers over her shoulder at them, then turned to Sonja.

"There's a public washroom six blocks north of here. Could you please take Liberty for me? I've got to hold our place in line." Sonja nodded, and took Liberty's hand. "Thank you so much. I'll tell your mother what a great help you were to me."

A pang of anxiety hit Sakura as soon as the girls were out of her sight, but she was glad to have them away from the rowdy men queued behind them. Hiding her left wrist with her right arm, she checked her watch. Five minutes until the first truck of food was scheduled to arrive. Food couldn't be stored in the Rations Office overnight without an armed guard, so it was all kept at one of a few storage facilities, and was delivered daily in several shipments, so that there was never more than one truckload stored at the Office itself at once.

When Sonja and Liberty returned nearly twenty minutes later, the line stretched across several blocks, and the food still had not arrived. While this was not unusual, as any number of things could slow down a delivery, it caused restlessness in the crowd, and the men behind Sakura had begun to get sullen with the worry that they would be late for work. When the girls tried to get back in line with Sakura, one of the men stepped forward, swinging ham-sized fists.

"Hey," he said. "They have to get in the end of the line."

"They're with me, so—"

"No saving places allowed."

Sakura's patience was wearing thin. "These are my daughters, and they are not going to get rations on their own. Therefore, they will not slow down the line." Technically a lie, but sometimes the truth needed to be stretched a little.

Unfortunately, the man seemed to have about the intelligence of a trained ape. "You're not allowed to save places in the rations line. You looking for a fight?"

Sakura opened her mouth to answer, but was cut off as a government truck came chugging down the street, engulfing everyone on the sidewalks in a cloud of noxious exhaust. However, as the cloud lifted, a metaphorical dark cloud seemed to lift from the people's shoulders as well, and a bit of animosity slipped from the burly man threatening Sakura.

"Fine, I'll let you get away with it this time, bitch," he muttered. "But next time send them girls to the back of the line."

Sakura let out a deep breath, and nearly collapsed to the concrete with relief. She wouldn't have known what to do if the man had persisted—she supposed she would have had to comply with his order and move to the back, meaning that they most likely wouldn't get rations that day.

They waited while the truck was unloaded, the workers moving the food guarded by soldiers with machine guns. About forty-five minutes after the arrival of the truck, the doors of the building were opened with a clatter, and the first dozen or so people were admitted by more soldiers. Inside, government officials scrutinised their ration cards before carefully measuring food out into their grocery bags.

The line shifted forward excruciatingly slowly, and Liberty, though she was too proud to complain, was obviously tired. The little girl's head kept bobbing up and down as she tried to keep herself awake. Sighing wearily, Sakura took her into her arms and held her as they shuffled gradually forward.

Finally, they reached the front of the line, and the guard hurried them inside before closing the door behind them with an ominous rattle. They were ushered into a shorter queue, which moved quickly forward. Soon they were standing in front of an oily man with yellow teeth and dirty fingernails who took the ration cards from Sakura's hand and peered over them scrutinisingly.

"Haruno, Sakura." He glanced up at her. "That's you then, girl?" She nodded, hiding her indignation at being referred to so disrespectfully. "Haruno, Liberty. Fine. And… Uzumaki, Naruto."

"My fiancé."

"Oh, really, now." The man leered down at Liberty, and Sakura could see his thought process in assuming that she was an illegitimate child. But it was easier to let him think that then to attempt to explain a story that he would just consider a lie, anyway.

He paused for a moment, but, on realising that Sakura wasn't going to rise to the taunt of his implication, he sullenly counted out rations for two.

"Excuse me, sir, but we need one mo—"

"Tell your _fiancé_ to come get his own, _Miss_ Haruno," he sneered. "Next!"

Sonja crept forward timidly and handed the disgusting man her cards. "Three, please, sir."

The man glanced at the cards, and, seeing that all three bore the surname Sarutobi, nodded curtly and handed Sonja the food.

"Thank you, sir," she murmured, then hurried over to where Sakura was waiting by the exit door. They were ushered out by yet another soldier, and pushed their way through the crowd onto the open street.

It was nearly noon, and the sun had managed to break through the clouds and smog, letting a little weak light trickle down to earth, but not enough to warm the earth. Sakura shivered and pulled her coat tighter around her slender frame.

Ahead, she heard cries, but proceeded cautiously. As they neared the scene of the commotion, people ran past them in the direction of the sounds. Sakura walked faster, wondering what was drawing these people like flies to honey. She saw others like her, heading in the same direction out of curiousity.

Rounding a corner, she saw something that made the answer to her questions all too clear. A government food truck had tipped over in the middle of the street and the door had burst open. Men, women and children swarmed over it, dashing around like ants on a carcass, hording and fighting over packets of crackers and cans of condensed milk.

Taking one of the girls' hands in each of her own, Sakura turned and tried to flee the scene, but couldn't fight against the tide of the crowd. The three of them were drawn in to the centre of the chaos as to a vacuum. A plume of panic rose in Sakura's breast, but she contained it. Sonja and Liberty needed her. She couldn't panic. She needed to stay calm.

At the side of the road, there was a large bush that the crowd was skirting. Maybe if they reached that, they could get somewhere from there… Sakura put all her trust in this plan, because she needed to believe something, _anything._ It was the only way she could possibly get through this.

Keeping the girls close to her, Sakura worked her way sideways through the mob. They neared the bush and she stretched out her fingers, but someone slammed into her from the side and she was pushed backward. She felt herself being pulled back into the tumult, and the panic within her faded to despair. Yet she fought it back, and pushed on.

Then people began to shout intelligibly, and all confidence she had remain dissipated instantly. They were crying things that she had heard before.

"Death to Uchiha!"

"Power to the people!"

"Long live the revolution!"

'No!' she wanted to scream. 'Stop! You'll gain nothing with your foolish shouting. No one cares what you yell, or how much you riot. You'll pay the price for your fleeting elation with your blood. Just shut up and live! Let me live!' But even if she had a chance of being heard over the crowd, no one would listen to her.

"Long live the revolution!"

Everyone was screaming now, and running in all directions. Sakura managed to seize onto the bush, and pulled herself and the girls close to it, huddling there, trembling with fear. Men had climbed inside the back of the truck and were throwing any remaining food into the crowd. More people were pounding on the doors of the cab, trying to get to the government officials within. The glare on the bulletproof windows prevented Sakura from seeing the inside, but she suspected that the men within were radioing for support, and the thought sent chills of terror down her spine. She pulled Liberty to her chest and breathed in the scent of her hair, trying to calm herself.

More and more people poured into the streets, screaming and waving small black flags. Some had banners, now, too, and they draped them ironically over the government truck. They were painted in bold black letters with obscene slogans and puns, which the mob laughed at and began to chant. Someone dragged out an effigy of Itachi Uchiha and men urinated on it, then strung it up and set it on fire. Sakura wished that if she closed her eyes and pulled her knees close enough to herself, she could disappear. She didn't care where she went; she just wanted to be away from here.

Someone was shouting, then, trying to say something. No one heard him. No one noticed the rumbling of engines until a half-dozen military vehicles drove up and blocked off the street around them. Then they realised, and then they ran.

Sakura leapt to her feet as the tide of movement changed, pulling outwards. Holding a small hand in each of her own, she pushed into the crowd and fled with them. The cold wind whipped her face, and her coat flapped up around her knees, but she ran with all her might, dragging the girl behind her. She pulled them out to the trucks and was nearly past, out to freedom.

Then Liberty's hand slipped away.

Sakura spun around, and Sonja was dragged ahead, away from her, but she barely noticed. She was pushing backward, once more moving against the mob, trying to get back past the ring of vehicles to Liberty. But the tide was strong, and she felt herself being pushed backwards.

"No!" she cried, and pushed back with a surge of adrenaline. She moved forward again, parting the crowd around her, and for a moment she caught a glimpse of her niece, fallen to the ground, unable to rise for the pressing of the throng. Then a large man slammed into Sakura, pushing her back, and she lost all the ground she had gained and more. She tried again, but her legs gave out beneath her and she was swept away with the crowd.

She screamed, a primal cry of rage and fear and sorrow, wordless and piercing, but no one heard her. She fought, but no one noticed. She wept bitter tears as she was swept away, but there was nothing she could do.

Soldiers leapt out of the trucks, and hoisted guns to their shoulders. Sakura cried out again, and pushed forward, trying to somehow stop them, but her voice was drowned out by the sound of thousands of bullets being pumped into the crowd.

Liberty was gone.


	3. When She Cries

Sakura knew how to deal with grief. She had gone through it before, more than once, and had learned that it was easiest if she could throw herself into her work. After her brother had died, she'd worked almost nonstop for three days until she collapsed from exhaustion and Naruto had had to take her to the doctor. It gave her something else to think about, a distraction from reality. If she kept her mind occupied, she could delude herself that it wasn't real, that it had never really happened, and it was only slowly that she accepted the truth, making it a bit easier to accept. So she had sat at her desk for hours, writing article after article about trivial things, forcing herself to think of nothing sad.

That was then. This was now.

Unable to write for years, Sakura had been left with few responsibilities that did not pertain to Liberty. Most of her day had been spent looking after the girl, and that had been her sole form of distraction from life while Naruto was at work. Now, Liberty was gone, and her life was empty.

She tried watching the television. It was a horrible idea, but she hoped desperately for a trashy soap opera. Instead, the news was on. She turned it off, but not before being faced with a propaganda news reporter talking about the effectiveness of the military under President Uchiha's rule. Instead of acting as an escape from the real world, it thrust it into her face.

She tried reading, but couldn't focus on her books. Instead, she found herself gazing off into space, a book held loosely in her hand. She needed something difficult that would pull her mind into it.

As a sort of last resort, she tried to write. This was, after all, what had always managed to pull her from her despair before. She approached her typewriter almost cautiously, praying that it could provide her with an escape. Seating herself at her desk, she set her fingers down on the keys, lightly brushing them with her fingertips as if unsure as to whether they would burn her hands.

"Ms. Haruno?"

Sakura half-turned in her seat. "What is it, Sonja?"

The girl swallowed nervously as her hands repeatedly smoothed her skirt. Her eyes were fixed on the ground in front of Sakura as she spoke.

"I—I was just wondering… have you eaten yet today?"

Sakura turned away, staring off out the window. The grey sky was graced by a few tendrils of pink sunset.

"No."

"Well, um, dinner's over, but I saved you some food…" She trailed off, looking to Sakura expectantly, unsure what to do.

"Thanks, but I'm not hungry, Sonja." Sakura turned back to her typewriter and waited for her to leave, but instead she heard light footsteps coming towards her, and then a small, cool hand rested on her shoulder.

"Ms. Haruno—" Sonja paused, then restarted awkwardly, but with conviction. "_Sakura._ I—I want to help you." Another pause. "I won't say I understand, because I don't, but I—"

"Sakura!" Naruto came running in, full of energy, then seemed to remember the sobriety of the occasion, and dropped his voice. "Uh, sorry. I, um… am I interrupting anything?"

Sonja bit her lip nervously and rocked back and forth on her heels for a moment, then shook her head and slipped from the room. Naruto glanced after her, bewildered, then came over to his fiancée and waited for her attention.

After a moment, Sakura glanced up at him. "Did you have something to tell me?"

He obviously did, but seemed to lose the nerve to say it under her cold, level gaze. "Well, I just wanted to say that… I got home from work. And Kurenai says that you should eat something."

Sighing, Sakura turned away. "Now Kurenai? I suppose she sent Sonja…"

"You know, you really should—"

"Don't you start on me, too. I'm just not hungry. Why is everyone acting like I'm starving to death?"

"Did you eat anything yesterday?"

"Fine." Rather than answer the question, Sakura chose to pull herself out of her chair and leave the room. Walking out to the kitchen, she noticed that her legs were weak underneath her, but tried not to think about it. She didn't want to admit that she was hungry.

Kurenai was waiting by the table with a plate of dinner, presumably there to make sure that Sakura actually ate. With a sigh, Sakura flopped down into a chair and picked up a fork. It felt awkward and unwieldy in her fingers. Digging it into her plate, she began to eat automatically, not even noticing what it was she was swallowing. Kurenai sat down beside her and wordlessly watched her eat with a look of pity.

Finishing her food, Sakura stood, taking her plate over to the washtub in the corner. With some difficulty, she turned the knob and water gushed out of the spigot. Picking up a cloth, she washed her plate, scrubbing it methodically. One bit of sauce had hardened itself to her plate and would not come off with the rubbing of the soft rag. Determined, she clenched her jaw and scrubbed harder, but the speck of hardened food refused to comply with her will, sticking stubbornly to the surface. This one thing, this one disturbance in what she was now convinced would have otherwise been a perfect meal, seemed to bring up all the frustrations she'd held within her. Every question, every insecurity, every doubt, every shred of sorrow and guilt and self-pity rose up as if to choke her. She scrubbed harder and harder—

The plate flew from her hands, pushed away by her fervent scrubbing. She watched with a sort of detached apathy tinged with horror as it fell to the ground, almost drifted down, the world slowed down as if for her viewing. She watched the plate hit the ground, and time slid back to normal as it shattered into a thousand shards, skittering out across the rough boards of the floor.

Conversations halted abruptly at the disturbance, and people looked over, trying to locate the source of the noise. It was easy enough to tell at first glance, seeing Sakura standing there with her hands soapy and wet and a broken dish at her feet. Most people turned back to what they had been doing, but Kurenai excused herself from her discussion, got up, and walked over.

Sakura looked lost; her face confused, as if she didn't know that it was her who had dropped the plate. One hand slowly pleated the edge of her skirt. The dripping dish cloth still hung lamely from the other hand as she stood rooted to the spot, staring lamely at the ground. Kurenai reached out a hand to touch her shoulder, and she looked up sharply, making the older woman withdraw her hand. A thousand emotions flitted over Sakura's face, and a single tear ran down out of the corner of her eye and down her face. Slowly, she reached up a hand and felt the wetness. She looked confused for a second, then, in an instant, her face crumpled and she brought her hands up to hide her tears as her shoulders trembled uncontrollably. She began to sink to her knees, but Kurenai took her elbow sharply and led her over to a chair. Sakura was surprised by this, having forgotten about the shards of crockery that surrounded her feet.

Guiding Sakura into the chair, Kurenai sat down beside her and took her into her arms, gently rocking back and forth in that way all mothers know. She whispered soothing things into her unkempt pink hair. Sakura could not hear the words, but they did not matter. She sobbed into Kurenai's blouse, wetting it with her tears, and cried until she could stem the flow. Raising her head, she tried to pull away from the older woman.

"I'm sorry Kurenai—you shouldn't have to do this—you have your own daughter, you shouldn't have to be a mother to me, too."

Kurenai's smile was soft, but firm. "Regardless of how many children I have, you have no mother, and you need one now. Sakura…"

But Sakura stood, and turned away. "Thank you. I'm sorry. I just need—I need to—" But she didn't know what she needed, and so could think of nothing to say.

Kurenai nodded. "I understand," she lied lovingly. "But if you need someone…"

Sakura smiled weakly. "I know. Thank you, really. But it's just… oh!" She had noticed the plate she had dropped. "Of course, that. I better clean that up." She laughed softly, an unhappy laugh that held less joy than a frown.

"I'll get that," Kurenai said hastily.

"No!" Sakura paused, and composed herself. "I mean—it's just—it's something I have to do myself."

"I understand," she lied again. She turned to go, but then turned back again, her face ravished with concern. "Sakura…"

"I'll be fine," she said, faking a smile, and not knowing that in doing so she betrayed more pain than if she had not. Kurenai nodded slowly, but the concerned look did not leave her face as she returned to her conversation.

As for Sakura, she got down on her knees and began to pick up the shards of the broken plate. She collected them in her palm, and lifted each individually, not even getting a broom to sweep them into a pile. Twice she sliced her finger on the sharp edges, and each time felt an odd sort of ecstasy in the pain. She plodded on even after everyone else had gone to bed, working by the light of the single bare lightbulb that hung over the kitchen area. As she worked, she didn't hear the footsteps that approached her or see the shadow that hung over her until Naruto knelt beside her and began to pick up the small bits that still remained.

She stopped, and watched for a moment as he tried to get a grip on a tiny piece with his large, blunt fingertips, and then went back to her work.

"Go away," she told him.

"No."

"I'm doing this myself."

"And I'm doing it with you."

Sighing, Sakura picked up three more bits of the plate. One last piece remained. She reached for it and pinched it between her thumb and forefinger. She was about to pull her hand up again when a larger hand covered hers, encompassing it. Naruto pulled her hand over and gently squeezed her fingers, making her drop the shard into the small pile he held in his palm. She raised her eyes, full of indignation, to meet his, but her breath caught in her chest and her anger dissipated at the look in his cerulean eyes. It was as if all the emotions she had been feeling were being reflected back at her in twin mirrors, and she saw Naruto's grief, and her own. She sagged as she saw her own reflection on their surface, and saw everything in his eyes in her own. Naruto hastily dropped his handful of shards into the trash bin and caught her up in his arms.

Sakura was happy to just be held, to feel Naruto's warmth soaking into her own body have the security of his arms around her. She was happy to not have to support herself or stand on her own. But still, she broke away, and pulled herself to her feet. Naruto stood, too, and gave her the same look of concern that she had earlier seen on Kurenai's face.

"What is it, Sakura? What's wrong?"

"I—I need—" Again, this inability to express herself, to explain what it was that she needed. She balled her fists up in the material of her skirt in frustration. "I just need—not to be pitied. Not to see people look at me like—like that. Like you're looking at me right now."

"What?" Naruto was caught off guard. "How am I looking at you?"

"Like I'm something fragile, like everyone needs to do everything for me. Like I'll snap in half if I go out in too strong of a wind."

"Sorry." He immediately tried to fix his expression, but his eyes stayed the same.

"I just need—I need to do something for myself. Not to just sit here and wallow and wait to forget. Because I'm not going to forget. I'm—I'm—" Tears were beginning to pool in the corners of her eyes again, and Naruto stepped forward. "No, don't. Don't make me need you." Clumsily brushing the moisture from her eyes, she tried to carry on, but her voice broke. She wrapped her arms around herself and shook silently while tears rand down her face and dripped off her chin and Naruto stood still, unsure of what to do. He wanted to go to her, but didn't know what she would do if he did.

After a minute that seemed like an hour, he spoke. "Sakura," he said. "Remember… remember two years ago, when I asked you to marry me?" She mutely nodded. "Well, I thought… when you said yes… I thought that… Sakura," he started again. "When you choose to make someone important in your life like that, you—you agree to let them lean on you, but also to lean on them. You agree to let yourself need them." A pause. "I thought you felt that way about me."

Tears welled up in her jade eyes again. "I do. You know I do. I just—I'm just tired of needing people. I want to stand on my own, to do something for myself."

Naruto gulped and braced himself. "Sakura, you know I'm loathe to suggest this, but… tomorrow's Thursday."

"Has it already been a week…?" Sakura mused.

"Yes, and, well, Thursday is…"

"The meeting of that revolutionary terrorist group, isn't it?"

Naruto bristled. "They're not terrorists! They are fighting for the good of the people and the nation, and they would never attack them."

"Fine. Guerilla group, then?"

Naruto pushed on. "It doesn't matter what you call them. The point is, they're meeting tomorrow, and I thought maybe you'd… you know…"

"You want me to come with you." It was a statement, not a question.

"Well, only if you want to. Now, I know that you said you don't think we should fight, but—"

"I'll go."

"What?" Naruto blinked stupidly for a moment. "Seriously? You mean it? Wow. I never thought… you'll really go?" He paused a moment, and his forehead wrinkled in concentration. "Why?"

"'Why?'" Sakura repeated. "It's unlike you to ask questions once you've gotten your way, Naruto."

Naruto winced. "I suppose you're right. But seriously, why? Why would you say yes when you've said no so many times?"

Sakura paused a moment, and thought. Why _had_ she agreed? "That whole time," she began slowly "The whole time I was telling you no, I was trying to protect you and me and Liberty. But now Liberty's gone." She sniffed and Naruto stepped towards her, but she held up a hand and continued. "Liberty's—dead. And you're going to subject yourself to danger regardless of whether I come. And as for myself, well, what's life without some risk?" She chuckled bitterly, laughed that dead-eyed laugh that was becoming too common for her, that laugh that should only be heard from women three times her age.

Naruto looked away. This was what he had wanted, wasn't it? For Sakura to agree, and go with him? This _was_ what he wanted, but in a way, it wasn't. This Sakura… she wasn't the Sakura he knew. She had changed, and even if this change made her see his way, he wasn't convinced that it was for the better.

"So, I'll go with you tomorrow, Naruto. That's what you wanted, right?"

"Of course. Thank you." Those were the words that Naruto said, but he couldn't ignore Sakura's question as it echoed through his heart, asking for the real answer.

'That's what you wanted, right?'

And he wasn't at all sure that the answer was yes.


	4. Children of the Revolution

As she headed out the door of her room, Sakura paused a moment to glance in the mirror that hung on the back of the door. Reaching up with one hand, she pushed a lank strand of hair back behind her ear. She told herself that it was the dimness of the chamber that paled her skin and made the dark shadows beneath her eyes.

Coming back around the doorframe, Naruto laid his hand on her shoulder. "You look fine, Sakura. Let's go now." His fiancée nodded mutely and followed along behind him as he crossed the main room and headed down the stairs, his heavy footfalls echoing softly.

Tonight, like every other Thursday night, Naruto had put on his boots and coat and was headed out to his meeting. However, unlike every other Thursday night in the history of the existence of Thursday nights, tonight Sakura was coming with him.

As she stepped out of the building and into the narrow alley it sat next to, Sakura was hit by a gust of chill wind, laden with icy particles that stung her cheeks above the thick wool scarf she wrapped around her chin. Wrapping her arms around herself tightly, she shoved her hands into their opposite pockets, trying to conserve heat. Naruto turned up his collar and plodded ahead, seemingly oblivious to the biting wind. She hurried along behind him, her skirt and coat flapping up as she ran and granting the bitter cold access to her legs, their only protection thin wool stockings.

They walked along for several miles, keeping to the shadows, of which there were many. What streetlamps there were more often than not were in desperate need of repair, and the moon, as on most nights, was cloaked by a dark film of smog from the factory where Naruto worked. There was not much cause for anxiety, anyway. Most guards had stayed at their stations tonight instead of performing the required patrol, eager to escape the biting cold outside. Even if they had been caught, they were not breaking curfew yet, and it was only incredulousy that they would be out on a night like this that would incriminate them.

Trudging onward in Naruto's wake, Sakura could not quite suppress the small flame of anxiety burning in her throat. She kept her teeth clamped tight together lest it should expand and fill her body, though she couldn't help but sardonically think that at least it might warm her up. The cold seemed to have sunk into the very marrow of her bones, and her feet had long since gone completely numb, feeling like little more than cold lumps of iron stuck to her legs. Finally, Naruto stopped outside a dreary-looking building and she stumbled to a halt behind him.

Pulling the thick wool mitten off his hand, Naruto administered a rapid-fire series of knocks to a heavy oaken door, nodding his head in time. His lips moved marginally as he mouthed the order he was following. A moment after he finished knocking, a panel opened in the upper part of the door and a pair of piercing black eyes peered out at them.

"Naruto Uzumaki?" The voice was muffled by the thick wood, but sounded like a woman. Naruto nodded. "Who's there with you?"

"My fiancée, Sakura Haruno." Placing his hand on Sakura's shoulder, he guided her forward so that the woman behind the door could see her. "I can vouch for her; she won't betray us."

The eyes crinkled into a smile. "I don't doubt that." There was a sound of clinking chains and locks, and the door swung inward. Naruto and Sakura entered into a narrow, dimly lit hallway where they were greeted by the woman behind the door. She stuck out her hand to Sakura.

"Lieutenant Inuzuka," she said "but you can call me Hana."

"Sakura Haruno." Sakura smiled thinly and shook the woman's hand. Hana smiled back in a professional and brisk fashion that managed to be warm as well. Pulling her hand back to her side, she nodded to Naruto, then turned and headed off down the hallway.

"This way to the main room," she called back over her shoulder.

Following her, Sakura entered a medium-sized chamber filled with a motley assortment of chairs. About a dozen people, mostly men, roamed about, talking in pairs or small groups. Most were dressed in civilian clothes, with heavy work boots, thick sweaters, and patched skirts and trousers, but Sakura noticed that Hana and a man having a hushed conversation in the corner both wore strange military uniforms. It was a simple costume, with a collared shirt and cravat under a crisp wool jacket, paired with trousers, which Sakura was surprised to see Hana wore as well, but it was unusual as well. Instead of the dark grey that she was accustomed to seeing, these were plain solid black, with not a hint of colour. Also, despite the fact that Hana had introduced herself as Lieutenant and Sakura assumed that the man was her superior, neither of their uniforms had any sort of decoration, not even a flag patch on the sleeve or the golden braid worn on the uniforms of officers in President Uchiha's guard.

The tall man in the corner finished his whispered conversation and strode purposefully to the centre of the room. Seeing him, Hana hurried over and he bent down to murmur something in her ear. A brief look of concern crossed her face, but she quickly smoothed it over and nodded once, professionally. Then, raising her hands in the air, she brought them together with a resounding clap.

"Alright, everybody!" she called. "Time for the meeting!"

The sound of wood on wood filled the room as people pulled the assorted chairs into a sort of circle. Naruto took Sakura's hand and led her over to a pair of straightbacked chairs with dingy cushions. She settled beside him and stared vaguely off into space as the rest of the room seated themselves. Hana and the tall man sat next to each other in ordinary chairs, in no way raised or distinguished from the rest of the room's occupants.

Hana stood first, and called the meeting to order, then took the floor. When she spoke, there was fire in her eyes.

"The anti-riot actions of Uchiha's guard this week have shown us that it is no longer enough to passively smolder in the shadows. He has chosen to attack, and we must respond in kind. I know that some of you have come here eager for battle, but some loathe the idea. If you are not willing to fight and put your life on the line, now is the time to leave. Now is the time for action!"

Her words stirred something in Sakura, a flame that had long burnt in the deepest corners of her heart. The call to action seemed to speak to her personally, and she was sure that the same fire was now filling her eyes that danced so boldly in Hana's.

Hana paused. "You know that I am as loathe as you are to turn this group into a terrorist organisation, but with Uchiha's actions, selective terrorism may be the only choice we have left. He has made this into a warfare situation, and as such, as good as condoned these actions in retaliation."

Murmurs of agreement spread across the room, but Sakura's brow wrinkled with uncertainty. After a moment, she stood, causing Naruto to look up at her confusedly.

"Lieutenant Inuzuka, the floor, if you please?"

"By all means." Hana gestured with her hand as she said, indicating her relinquishment. Sakura swallowed nervously, then faced the room with conviction.

"I agree with your sentiments, Lieutenant. We have been forced into action by Uchiha's recent retaliation. But terrorism is an attack on the people, and is only affected when the government gives a damn about the people's opinions. Of course, creating fear in the populace may cause them to rebel against Uchiha's iron grasp, but it will also paint a negative picture of the rebellion. We must not let ourselves live only in the here and now. Someday, if—no, when—we overthrow that Uchiha bastard, we will have to establish a new government. If we want to put ourselves in a position to do such, we must act with the people in mind now."

Once again heads nodded and whispers were exchanged throughout the room. Out of the corner of her eye, Sakura saw Hana's eyebrows arch infinitesimally, and she exchanged a knowing look with the man beside her.

The rest of the meeting passed fleetingly, with minor debates over strategy and several people taking the floor merely to profess the injustices of the Uchiha rule. Sakura sat quietly in her seat, worrying the hem of her coat and occasionally nodding vaguely. When it ended, she stood and turned to go, but Naruto put a hand on her shoulder.

"Do you mind waiting a bit?" he asked. "I have some questions to ask Kiba."

Sakura mutely nodded and wandered off amongst the groups of people in the room. She felt a touch on her shoulder and turned sharply to find Hana standing behind her.

"If you don't mind, Ms. Haruno, General Morino and I would like to speak to you in private."

Confused, Sakura nodded and followed Hana through the crowd to a side door. Stepping through it, she found herself in a tiny office. Shabby but immaculate shelves lined the walls, and in the centre stood a large desk and several chairs. Directly across from the door, the tall man was seated with his large hands folded in front of him. As the two women entered, he stood and shook Sakura's hand with a firm handshake much like Hana's.

"Ms. Haruno, I presume? I am General Ibiki Morino." His speech was clear despite a heavy German accent. "Please be seated. The lieutenant and I… have a proposition for you." He paused. "Perhaps it's better if you explain, Inuzuka."

Hana sat in a chair by the side of the desk and angled herself to face Sakura. "Like I said, these are desperate times, calling for desperate measures. I agree with you that terrorism is not the best way to get what we want. We—General Morino and I—have known this from the beginning, and we came up with a plan that we think might work. But we never thought we'd actually be able to pull it off until you showed up tonight. It will most likely be dangerous, and I hate to ask it of anyone, but I'm afraid it is the last and the best of the options remaining to us."

Sakura looked down at her hands, and then looked back up and met Hana's eyes. "I would not have come here tonight if I was not willing to act and to put my life on the line for the freedom of my country."

Hana nodded. "But, before you commit… be sure that you are not doing this only for Liberty."

Shock showed plainly on Sakura's face. "How did you—?"

"Never mind how I knew. The point is that you are grieving right now. Before you even decide to hear me out, I want to know that it is not your grief speaking, but you in all your rationality."

Sakura paused and thought. Before Liberty's death, Naruto had asked her many times to attend these meetings with him, and each time she had turned him down. Time and time again she had made a decision not to come. It was only since the day of the riot that she had ever thought otherwise. Was this only her grief, seeking some sort of revenge? She knew that she would never have come here if it weren't for Liberty.

But tonight, something had happened. Sometime during the course of Hana's speech, she had been drawn into the moment, and had almost forgotten about why she was here. All she had known was that this place was where she needed to be right now.

And maybe she never would have come here if Liberty hadn't been killed. But that event had opened her eyes; let her see the world differently. It was because of it that she was here, but not for revenge. She was here in an attempt to make sure that no mother had to go through what she had gone through when she had lost her niece who was a daughter to her.

Sakura's head snapped up and her fiery jade eyes locked onto the dark pools of Hana's irises.

"I speak as a woman who has lost her joy, but also as a woman willing to fight for her country, to the death if need be."

A grim smile graced the older woman's lips. "That may be a necessary eventuality, although we hope that it will not come to that." She paused. "What we seek is no mean feat."

"And what is it that you seek?"

This time, General Morino answered. "Like a venomous snake, this corrupt government we live under is a danger to our society. The best way to kill a snake is to cut off its head."

Hana nodded. "What we are seeking with this mission is no more and no less than the assassination of Itachi Uchiha."

-

At home, in bed, Sakura rolled over to put her back against Naruto. Her mind was dulled by the alcohol she had, perhaps unwisely, consumed after the meeting, but the memory of her discussion with Hana and General Morino was sharp in her mind, like one object in focus shown against a blurred background.

She had sat stiffly in her seat, shocked by Hana's words. An assassination. This was a grand goal for such a small organisation, but they were undeterred. And, more than that, they were sure that she could do it.

"All day, Uchiha is surrounded by personal bodyguards taken from his most loyal soldiers," Hana had said. "Every dish he eats is tasted first; every room he enters is checked to the fullest ability of existing technology. There is only one group of people with whom he is ever alone."

"Who?"

Hana had approached the subject in a way that showed that, while she was quite comfortable with speaking of it, she was restrained by politeness and social convention. "Those women with whom he is… intimate," she said. Her eyes darted over to Sakura, obviously checking her reaction. Seeing this, Sakura nodded slightly, hiding her discomfort.

"Uchiha may not seem the type," Ibiki cut in "but he has many mistresses. It is unlike him to make such a flaw in judgment as to assume that he is in no danger from the women he sleeps with, but I suppose as a man… he has certain needs." Noting the pale blush that graced Sakura's cheeks, he raised his eyebrows. "This type of talk makes you uncomfortable? Maybe you are not cut out for this job after all."

"No, no!" Sakura looked at her hands, unsure of how to explain. "I'm just… unused to talk like this."

"There is one more matter," Hana added. "To become close to Itachi, you must become a member of the court. There are three ways to do such—you can become fabulously wealthy, advance to a high position in the military, or marry into the court. We have chosen the simplest of the three."

"You want me to… marry a court member? But Naruto and I…" Sakura trailed off. Although they were not properly married, she and Naruto had lived as husband and wife for some years now, and it was only the government's control of marriage ceremonies that had led them to remain merely engaged all these years.

"We are not commanding you to do anything. If any part of this plan is not to your liking, you have every right to refuse." Hana's eyes met hers in a piercing gaze. Slowly, Sakura shook her head. After all, if she was going to become Itachi Uchiha's mistress, anyway, what did it matter if she was married? Marriage was just a formality, anyway, a human sign of a much deeper bond.

"But, who can I marry? And how can I carry on any work I have to do without his knowledge?"

Hana smiled. "This is the ingenious part of the plan. We have a member within the innermost circles of our president's court. He has agreed to marry whatever woman we should see fit if it will result in Uchiha's downfall."

Sakura raised her eyebrows. This was impressive and unprecedented. "Who is it?"

"Sasuke Uchiha."

Sakura leapt up in surprise, nearly overturning her chair. "The president's brother? But he—he's—"

"A steadfast revolutionary who has proved his loyalty and has our absolute confidence," Hana finished. "We have nothing to fear from him."

Sakura sank back into her chair, shaking her head in astonishment. "The president's brother…"

Abruptly, Hana pulled a bit of paper from her pocket, and, taking a pen from the desk, scribbled a series of numbers onto it. "Do you have access to a telephone?"

"Yes, there's one in my building, but it's shared so we can't count on privacy."

"We can _never_ count on privacy. That is something you would do well to learn." Hana tapped the scrap with the end of the pen. "I will give you three days. At that point, call this number. If you decide not to carry out this mission, which I will not think any less of you for, simply tell me that you want to cancel our outing. If you have decided to see it through, tell me that you would love to meet for tea. I'll give you the time and place to meet Sasuke. I'll give him a call if you decide to go through with it, and he'll come meet you."

Even now, lying in bed, Sakura shivered at the idea of this whole plan. To marry a man she didn't know, a man she had never even met… and all that so that she could sleep with his brother in an attempt on his life. This was against everything that Sakura had ever been taught was right, but she couldn't be sure of the morality of the whole issue. This _was_ a war situation, and in times like this, everything changed.

But some things would always be the same. Turning back to Naruto, Sakura pulled close to the warmth of his chest and buried her face in his neck, shutting out the blackness of the night.


	5. You Decide

Sakura's fingernails tapped nervously on the horn of the hallway telephone. The time ticked away on the watch wrapped around her slender wrist. In less than two hours the day would be over, and she had yet to make a decision regarding Hana's offer.

What did she want to do? That answer was obvious. She wanted to shove her head in the sand, pretend that she'd never known Liberty and that everything was as it should be. Forget her pain, forget her sorrow. She wanted to forget the whole damn world. She wanted to gossip with Kurenai, to wait for her visa application to be processed, to sleep in Naruto's arms every night for the rest of her life, secure and blissfully ignorant.

But what should she do? What was the right thing? This was the question that had kept her up at night, tossing and turning in her blankets. This was the question that left her here at the telephone, having deliberated for hours but still unsure of what answer she would give. Sakura took the horn in her hand and turned it over, looking at it as if she was searching for an answer in it's chipped black paint.

"Excuse me? Ms. Haruno?"

Turning with a start, Sakura saw Sonja standing at the foot of the stairs, twisting the end of her braid around her finger. A question was in her eyes, but it was plain that she was too timid to give it words.

"You need the telephone, Sonja?"

"I—"

"It's fine. I… I was just finishing, anyway." Dropping the horn back into it's rack with a clatter, Sakura swept past the girl and up the stairs. The main room was abandoned, families having retreated to their quarters for the night. She collapsed into one of the rickety chairs perched around the central table. Her head sunk into her folded hands, trying to clear her mind.

What should she do?

She had meant every word that she had told Hana three days ago. She was willing to fight and die for her country, for her freedom, and, although she would never admit it, for her revenge. Death was not something she had reason to fear anymore. If Hana had asked her to strap bombs to her body and throw herself in front of the president's car, she wouldn't have hesitated for a second. If the only way to overthrow Uchiha had been to lead a charge on the old palace, she would've volunteered in an instant. But the one thing she had left, the only thing that mattered, was the love that she and Naruto shared. To throw it apart like this was more than she could stand.

Sakura shook her head. How could she justify putting her personal happiness before the good of her entire country, before the lives of the countless other innocents who would doubtless die if Uchiha's reign of terror was not overthrown? To do so would put her on the level of the man she most hated, reigning supreme in egocentric self-absorption. No, she would not—could not—refuse Hana on those grounds. Even the pain that she would cause Naruto could not justify such an act. Naruto would understand. If she agreed to the plan, it would be for the same reasons that he had been going without her to the meetings all these months. Because nothing mattered as much as the good of the country. No personal sacrifice, no societal ideals.

But what about morals? Marrying a man she hardly knew, whoring herself to a man she hated, and finally, murder. Were these justifiable? Was the good of the country worth the sacrifice of her soul to unforgivable sins? Part of her pointed out that this was just another form of self-sacrifice, giving a deeper part of herself for the people's good, but she didn't want to admit that. She was afraid of where that would leave her, of the decision that she would have to make.

Sakura half-turned and rose as she heard soft footsteps on the stairs. Sonja's head poked up, brown eyes peering curiously from beneath her bangs. She hesitated, then continued up into the main room. Nervously, she sat next to Sakura, who settled back into her seat.

"Sakura?"

Sakura's raised an eyebrow. Sonja never called her by her first name without prompting.

Sonja paused, waiting for a response. When it was obvious that none was forthcoming, she swallowed, and then continued on.

"You—you're going somewhere, aren't you? To do something for that group?"

"Well…" Sakura inclined her head, considering. "That's not really something I could tell you, is it?"

"But you are. You went with Naruto Thursday night. I saw. You never went with him before, but you did last Thursday. And now you've been packing. Not Naruto's things, just yours." Sonja paused, and Sakura saw in her eyes a fierce light that she never would have associated with Sonja, of all people. "You went to a meeting, and they want you to go somewhere, without Naruto."

"Yes," Sakura whispered. Without Naruto. Without her light.

"I want to go with you."

"What?" Sakura's head jerked up, her eyes wide. Sonja met her gaze levelly, her chin jutted out with determination.

"I was there, too, remember? When Liberty died?" Sakura flinched, but Sonja continued. "I want to help, too. I know that I'm not pretty or clever like you, but there must be things I could help you with. I could be your sister, or your cousin, or your maid. Please." Her eyes were still burning, but now they also swam with tears that she tried to blink back. "Let me help, Sakura. I know I can be of use to you."

"Sonja…" Sakura shook her head. She couldn't let Sonja get involved. "It's too dangerous."

"Don't! Don't tell me it's too dangerous. Not when it's dangerous for me to walk down the street. Tell me what's not dangerous these days, and maybe I'll do that. But don't tell me that this is too dangerous for me." Sonja wiped her brimming eyes with the back of her wrist in a swift, angry movement. There were fresh tears on her cheeks, but when she looked up to meet Sakura's eyes, there was only heartfelt determination. None of the confusion and fear that Sakura herself felt, not even the excitement a twelve-year-old might be expected to feel about such a venture. Sonja knew what she needed to do.

If only things could be so simple.

"No." Sakura watched with something like satisfaction as Sonja jerked back as if she had been slapped. "You're too young. You don't know what you're getting yourself into, and I refuse to take you into such danger. How do you think your parents would feel if you got hurt, or killed? It's out of the question." Sonja recoiled with each pointed remark, but she did not leave.

"I won't run away," she whispered.

And Sakura knew what she had to do.

She stood up quickly, overturning her chair in the process. Sonja jumped back, looking a bit frightened, but Sakura ran past her and down the stairs. She felt that if she didn't act soon, her resolution would fall apart.

In one smooth motion, she scooped the horn from it's hooks and turned to face the machine. She recited the number fluidly to the operator, then waited as the phone rang.

"_Hello?"_ A voice crackled from the earpiece of the phone.

Sakura smiled. "Hana."

-

_Once again, I'm packing my things. Will I ever be able to settle down somewhere? Or is there no place in this country that can be my home?_

Sakura crammed another book into her satchel, then looked sadly at her still half-full bookcase. With a sigh, she fastened the buckles and slung the bag over her shoulder. Naruto stood by the door, holding a large cardboard suitcase in one hand and a carpetbag in the other.

"You all ready?"

Her eyes flashed with a new determination. "Yes," she replied, truly meaning it. "You?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

They left the room together. Outside, Sonja stood with her parents. Her knuckles were white as she clutched the handle of her bag, but her eyes held the same conviction as Sakura's.

Kurenai blinked back tears. "You watch over her, Sakura."

Sakura nodded solemnly. "I will."

The women shared one tearful embrace, and then the three revolutionaries went down the stairs.

Asuma held his wife and tenderly kissed her hair. "They'll be fine," he murmured. "Sonja's a strong girl."

"I know." Kurenai turned her face upwards. "God, protect them. Bring them back to me safe."

Outside, on the street, three figures vanished into the mist.

-

_KK: Sorry, a short chapter this time, and a bit of an OC-centric one. I'm sorry also for the long wait between chapters—and for such a short chapter, too. My apologies. I'll try to get the next one out faster._


End file.
